High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification
High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification
Specification
Hitachi, Ltd.
Sony Corporation
Thomson Inc.
Toshiba Corporation
September 4, 2003
High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Preface
Notice
Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Philips Consumer Electronics International
B.V., Silicon Image, Inc., Sony Corporation, Thomson Inc., Toshiba Corporation and HDMI
Licensing, LLC. disclaim all liability, including liability for infringement of any proprietary rights,
relating to use of information in this specification.
Copyright 2002-3. HDMI Licensing, LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved. No license,
express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted herein.
Unauthorized use or duplication prohibited. “HDMI” and all associated logos are trademarks of
HDMI Licensing, LLC. Third-party trademarks and servicemarks are property of their respective
owners.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Philips Consumer Electronics International,
B.V., Silicon Image, Inc., Sony Corporation, Thomson Inc., and Toshiba Corporation each may
have patents and/or patent applications related to the High-Definition Multimedia Interface
Specification. These companies intend to make available to the industry an Adopter Agreement
that will include a limited, reciprocal patent license to certain of the electrical interfaces,
mechanical interfaces, signals, signaling and coding protocols, and bus protocols described in the
mandatory portions of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Release 1.0
published by HDMI Licensing, LLC.
Contact Information
The URL for the HDMI Founders web site is: http://www.HDMI.org.
Contribution
Silicon Image, Inc has made a significant contribution to this standard by editing the specification
and developing the core technologies upon which this specification is based; including Transition
Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) technology.
Acknowledgement
HDMI founders acknowledge the concerted efforts of employees of Japan Aviation Electronics
Industry, Limited and Molex Japan, who have made a significant contribution to this standard by
developing the connector technology and the mechanical and electrical specifications for the
required plugs and receptacles.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Table of Contents
PREFACE .....................................................................................................................................................II
NOTICE.........................................................................................................................................................II
DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY ...................................................................................................................II
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATEMENT ......................................................................................................III
CONTACT INFORMATION .............................................................................................................................III
CONTRIBUTION ...........................................................................................................................................III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..................................................................................................................................III
1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................1
2 DEFINITIONS.......................................................................................................................................4
3 OVERVIEW ..........................................................................................................................................8
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
6 VIDEO..................................................................................................................................................18
7 AUDIO..................................................................................................................................................25
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Figures
Figure 3-1 HDMI Block Diagram ...............................................................................................8
Figure 4-1 Type A Receptacle .................................................................................................12
Figure 4-2 Type A Plug Mating Interface Dimensions .............................................................12
Figure 4-3 Type B Receptacle.................................................................................................13
Figure 4-4 Type B Plug Mating Interface Dimensions.............................................................13
Figure 5-1 HDMI Encoder/Decoder Overview ........................................................................14
Figure 5-2 Informative Example: TMDS periods in 720x480p video frame ............................15
Figure 6-1 Default pixel encoding: RGB 4:4:4, 8 bits/component...........................................21
Figure 6-2 YCBCR 4:2:2 component ........................................................................................21
Figure 6-3 8-bit YCBCR 4:4:4 mapping ....................................................................................22
Figure 6-4 RGB with Pixel-Doubling .......................................................................................22
Figure 6-5 YCBCR 4:2:2 with Pixel-Doubling ...........................................................................23
Figure 6-6 YCBCR 4:4:4 with Pixel-Doubling ...........................................................................23
Figure 7-1 Audio Clock Regeneration model ..........................................................................26
Figure 7-2 Optional Implementation: Audio Sink.....................................................................26
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Tables
Table 5-1 Encoding Type and Data Transmitted .....................................................................16
Table 5-2 Packet Types...........................................................................................................17
Table 6-1 Video Color Component Ranges ............................................................................24
Table 7-1 Channel Status Values for Audio Sample Frequencies...........................................28
Table 7-2 Maximum Audio Sampling Frequency for all Video Format Timings (Informative) .29
Table 8-1 AVI InfoFrame Packet Header.................................................................................31
Table 8-2 AVI InfoFrame Packet Contents ..............................................................................32
Table 8-3 HDMI Valid Pixel Repeat Values for Each Format ..................................................33
Table 8-4 Audio InfoFrame Packet Header .............................................................................34
Table 8-5 Audio InfoFrame Packet contents ...........................................................................35
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose and Scope
This document constitutes the specification for the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface is provided for transmitting digital television audiovisual
signals from DVD players, set-top boxes and other audiovisual sources to television sets,
projectors and other video displays.
HDMI can carry high quality multi-channel audio data and can carry all standard and high-
definition consumer electronics video formats. Content protection technology is available.
HDMI can also carry control and status information in both directions.
This specification completely describes the interface such that one could implement a complete
transmission and interconnect solution or any portion of the interface. The underlying Transition
Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS)-based protocol and associated electrical signaling is
described in detail. The mechanical specification of the connector and the signal placement within
the connector are described.
A device that is compliant with this specification is interoperable with other compliant devices
through the configuration and implementation provided for in this specification.
Mechanical, electrical, behavioral and protocol requirements necessary for compliance are
described for sources, sinks and cables.
EIA, EIA/CEA-861B, “A DTV Profile For Uncompressed High Speed Digital Interfaces”1
VESA, VESA E-DDC Standard, ENHANCED DISPLAY DATA CHANNEL STANDARD Version 1,
September 2, 1999
ITU, ITU-R BT.601-5 Studio encoding parameters of digital television for standard 4:3 and wide-
screen 16:9 aspect ratios (October 1995)
1
All HDMI devices are required to comply with the requirements specified in EIA/CEA-861B except
where specifically noted in this document.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
ITU, ITU-R BT.709-4 Parameter values for the HDTV standards for production and international
programme exchange (March 2000)
IEC, IEC 60958-1, “Digital audio interface – Part 1: General”, First edition 1999-12
IEC, IEC 60958-3, “Digital audio interface – Part 3: Consumer applications”, First edition 1999-12
IEC, IEC 61937, “Digital Audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying
IEC 60958”, First edition 2000-04
Digital Content Protection LLC, “High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection System Specification”,
Revision 1.10 (HDCP)
ANSI/SMPTE, SMPTE Standard 170M (1999) for Television – Composite Analog Video Signal –
NTSC for Studio Applications
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
D[X:Y] Bit field representation covering bit X to bit Y (inclusive) of value or field
D.
0bNN Binary (base-2) numbers are represented using ‘C’ language notation,
preceded by ‘0b’.
Within this specification, any descriptions of data structures, values or sequences that occur on
the HDMI interface should be interpreted only as data structures, values and sequences that are
transmitted by the HDMI Source. Due to the possibility of errors during the transmission, these
items should not be construed as data structures, values or sequences that are guaranteed to be
detected by the HDMI Sink.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
2 Definitions
2.1 Conformance Levels
expected A key word used to describe the behavior of the hardware or software in
the design models assumed by this specification. Other hardware and
software design models may also be implemented.
may A key word that indicates flexibility of choice with no implied preference.
reserved fields A set of bits within a data structure that are defined in this specification
as reserved, and are not otherwise used. Implementations of this
specification shall zero these fields. Future revisions of this specification,
however, may define their usage.
reserved values A set of values for a field that are defined in this specification as
reserved, and are not otherwise used. Implementations of this
specification shall not generate these values for the field. Future
revisions of this specification, however, may define their usage.
(Audio) Sample Clock Original clock related to the audio input samples at the Source or the
generated clock used to time the output of audio samples.
BCH Error correction technique named after the developers: Bose, Chauduri,
and Hocquenghem.
Data Stream Disparity Integer indicating “DC-offset” level of link. A positive value represents the
excess number of “1”s that have been transmitted. A negative value
represents the excess number of “0”s that have been transmitted.
Downstream In the direction of the primary audio and video data flow, i.e. towards the
Sink (e.g. display).
(HDMI) Repeater A device with one or more HDMI inputs and one or more HDMI outputs.
Repeater devices shall simultaneously behave as both an HDMI Sink
and an HDMI Source.
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Multi-channel Audio with more than 2 channels. Typically this term is applied to 6 (5.1)
channel streams. Also called surround formats.
Pixel Picture Element. Refers to the actual element of the picture and the data
point in the digital video stream representing such an element. This term
may also apply to the data that is carried across the HDMI link during a
single TMDS (pixel) clock cycle, even if that data does not actually
represent a picture element.
Pixel Encoding Bit placement and sequencing for the components of a pixel for a
particular color space and chroma sampling.
Root (Device) A device, generally a display device, formally defined by the following
rule: A device that has no HDMI output or, a device which has chosen to
take the physical address 0.0.0.0.
Receiver A component that is responsible for receiving the four differential TMDS
input pairs at the input to an HDMI Sink and converting those signals into
a digital output indicating a 24 bit, 12 bit, or 6 bit TMDS decoded word
and indicating the TMDS coding mode used to decode those bits. This
digital output may be contained within a semiconductor device or may be
output from a semiconductor device.
Stream A time-ordered set of digital data originating from one Source and
terminating at zero or more Sinks. A stream is characterized by bounded
bandwidth requirements.
Tbit Time duration of a single bit carried across the TMDS data channels.
Tpixel Time duration of a single pixel carried across the TMDS data channels.
This is equal to 10!Tbit .
Transmitter A component that is responsible for driving the four differential TMDS
output pairs into an HDMI output and for clocking the data driven into
those four output pairs.
Video Field The period from one VSYNC active edge to the next VSYNC active
edge.
Video Format A video format is sufficiently defined such that when it is received at the
monitor, the monitor has enough information to properly display the video
to the user. The definition of each format includes a Video Format
Timing, the picture aspect ratio, and a colorimetry space.
Video Format Timing The waveform associated with a video format. Note that a specific Video
Format Timing may be associated with more than one Video Format
(e.g., 720X480p@4:3 and 720X480p@16:9).
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N.C. No connect.
Rx Receiver
Tx Transmitter
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
3 Overview
HDMI system architecture is defined to consist of Sources and Sinks. A given device may have
one or more HDMI inputs and one or more HDMI outputs. Each HDMI input on these devices
shall follow all of the rules for an HDMI Sink and each HDMI output shall follow all of the rules for
an HDMI Source.
As shown in Figure 3-1 HDMI Block Diagram the HDMI cable and connectors carry four
differential pairs that make up the TMDS data and clock channels. These channels are used to
carry video, audio and auxiliary data. In addition, HDMI carries a VESA DDC channel. The DDC
is used for configuration and status exchange between a single Source and a single Sink. The
optional CEC protocol provides high-level control functions between all of the various audiovisual
products in a user’s environment.
Video Video
TMDS Channel 0
TMDS Channel 1
EDID
ROM
CEC Line
Audio, video and auxiliary data is transmitted across the three TMDS data channels. The video
pixel clock is transmitted on the TMDS clock channel and is used by the receiver as a frequency
reference for data recovery on the three TMDS data channels.
Video data is carried as a series of 24-bit pixels on the three TMDS data channels. TMDS
encoding converts the 8 bits per channel into the 10 bit DC-balanced, transition minimized
sequence which is then transmitted serially across the pair at a rate of 10 bits per pixel clock
period.
Video pixel rates can range from 25MHz to 165MHz. Video formats with rates below 25MHz (e.g.
13.5MHz for 480i/NTSC) can be transmitted using a pixel-repetition scheme. The video pixels can
be encoded in either RGB, YCBCR 4:4:4 or YCBCR 4:2:2 formats. In all three cases, up to 24 bits
per pixel can be transferred.
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In order to transmit audio and auxiliary data across the TMDS channels, HDMI uses a packet
structure. In order to attain the higher reliability required of audio and control data, this data is
protected with a BCH error correction code and is encoded using a special error reduction coding
to produce the 10-bit word that is transmitted.
Basic audio functionality consists of a single IEC 60958 audio stream at sample rates of 32kHz,
44.1kHz or 48kHz. This can accommodate any normal stereo stream. Optionally, HDMI can carry
a single such stream at sample rates up to 192KHz or from two to four such streams (3 to 8 audio
channels) at sample rates up to 96KHz. HDMI can also carry IEC 61937 compressed (e.g.
surround-sound) stream at sample rates up to 192kHz.
The DDC is used by the Source to read the Sink’s Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data
(E-EDID) in order to discover the Sink’s configuration and/or capabilities.
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4 Physical Layer
4.1 Connectors and Cables
A device’s external HDMI connection shall be presented via one of the two specified HDMI
connectors, Type A or Type B. This connector can be attached directly to the device or can be
attached via a cable adapter that is shipped with the device.
The Type A connector carries all required HDMI signals, including a single TMDS link. The Type
B connector is slightly larger and carries a second TMDS link, which is necessary to support very
high-resolution computer displays requiring dual link bandwidth.
An HDMI Source connection using a Type B connector may transmit any video format timing.
An HDMI Sink connection using a Type B connector may define support for any video format
timing, via any of the EDID 1.3 or EIA/CEA-861B mechanisms.
Beyond the specific video format timing restrictions defined in this section (above), no other video
differences between Type A and Type B devices are defined in this specification.
4.1.3 Dual-Link
The Type A connector carries only a single TMDS link and is therefore only permitted to carry
signals up to 165Mpixels/sec.
To support signals greater than 165Mpixels/sec, the dual-link capability of the Type B connector
shall be used.
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HDMI dual-link architecture is compatible with DVI 1.0 dual-link architecture and is defined in
Appendix B.
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As shown in Figure 5-1, an HDMI link includes three TMDS Data channels and a single TMDS
Clock channel. The TMDS Clock channel constantly runs at the pixel rate of the transmitted
video. During every cycle of the TMDS Clock channel, each of the three TMDS data channels
transmits a 10-bit character. This 10-bit word is encoded using one of several different coding
techniques.
The input stream to the Source’s encoding logic will contain video pixel, packet and control data.
The packet data consists of audio and auxiliary data and associated error correction codes.
These data items are processed in a variety of ways and are presented to the TMDS encoder as
either 2 bits of control data, 4 bits of packet data or 8 bits of video data per TMDS channel. The
Source encodes one of these data types or encodes a Guard Band character on any given clock
cycle.
HDMI
Input Streams TMDS Link Output Streams
Source Sink
Decoder
Channel 0
H,VSYNC D[1:0] D[1:0] H,VSYNC
Decoder
Channel 1
CTL0, CTL1 D[1:0] D[1:0] CTL0, CTL1
Decoder
Channel 2
CTL2, CTL3 D[1:0] D[1:0] CTL2, CTL3
Clock Channel
Pixel Clock Pixel Clock
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The HDMI link operates in one of three modes: Video Data Period, Data Island period, and
Control period. During the Video Data Period, the active pixels of an active video line are
transmitted. During the Data Island period, audio and auxiliary data are transmitted using a series
of packets. The Control period is used when no video, audio, or auxiliary data needs to be
transmitted. A Control Period is required between any other two periods.
HSYNC
vertical blanking
45 lines
V
S
Y
N
C
horizontal blanking
138 pixels 720 active pixels
Control Period
TMDS Periods Data Island Period
Video Data Period
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Video Data Periods use transition minimized coding to encode 8 bits per channel, or 24 bits total
per pixel.
Data Island Periods are encoded using a similar transition minimized coding, TMDS Error
Reduction Coding (TERC4), which transmits 4 bits per channel, or 12 bits total per pixel clock
period.
During Control Periods, 2 bits per channel, or 6 bits total are encoded per pixel clock using a
transition maximized encoding. These 6 bits are HSYNC, VSYNC, CTL0, CTL1, CTL2 and CTL3.
Near the end of every Control Period, a Preamble, using the CTLx bits, indicates whether the
next Data Period is a Video Data Period or a Data Island Period.
Each Video Data Period and Data Island Period starts with a Leading Guard Band designed to
provide robust determination of the transition from the Control Period to the Data Period. This
Leading Guard Band consists of two special characters.
The Data Island Period is also protected by a Trailing Guard Band, which is designed to provide a
robust determination of the transition to Control Period.
The following table shows Encoding type used and data transmitted during each operating mode.
HSYNC, VSYNC
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6 Video
6.1 Overview
HDMI allows a wide variety of explicitly defined video format timings to be transmitted and
displayed. These video format timings define the pixel and line counts and timing, synchronization
pulse position and duration, and whether the format is interlaced or progressive.
The video pixels carried across the link shall be in one of three different pixel encodings: RGB
4:4:4, YCBCR 4:4:4 or YCBCR 4:2:2.
The HDMI Source determines the pixel encoding and video format of the transmitted signal based
on the characteristics of the source video, the format and pixel encoding conversions possible at
the Source, and the format and pixel encoding capabilities and preferences of the Sink.
Some of the following support requirements are in addition to those specified in EIA/CEA-861B.
• An HDMI Source shall support at least one of the following video format timings:
• 640x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720x576p @ 50Hz
• An HDMI Source that is capable of transmitting any of the following video format timings
using any other component analog or uncompressed digital video output, shall be capable of
transmitting that video format timing across the HDMI interface.
• 1280x720p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1280x720p @ 50Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 50Hz
• 720x576p @ 50Hz
• An HDMI Sink which accepts 60Hz video formats shall support the 640x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
and 720x480p @ 59.94/60Hz video format timings.
• An HDMI Sink which accepts 50Hz video formats shall support the 640x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
and 720x576p @ 50Hz video format timings.
• An HDMI Sink which accepts 60Hz video formats, and which supports HDTV capability, shall
support 1280x720p @ 59.94/60Hz or 1920x1080i @ 59.94/60Hz video format timings.
• An HDMI Sink which accepts 50Hz video formats, and which supports HDTV capability, shall
support 1280x720p @ 50Hz or 1920x1080i @ 50Hz video format timings.
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• An HDMI Sink that is capable of receiving any of the following video format timings using any
other component analog or uncompressed digital video input, shall be capable of receiving
that format across the HDMI interface.
• 1280x720p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1280x720p @ 50Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 50Hz
During the Data Island period, HDMI carries HSYNC and VSYNC signals using encoded bits on
Channel 0. During Video Data periods, HDMI does not carry HSYNC and VSYNC and the Sink
should assume that these signals remain constant. During Control periods, HDMI carries HSYNC
and VSYNC signals through the use of four different control characters on TMDS Channel 0.
Only pixel encodings of RGB 4:4:4, YCBCR 4:2:2, and YCBCR 4:4:4 (as specified in Section 6.5)
may be used on HDMI.
All HDMI Sources and Sinks shall be capable of supporting RGB 4:4:4 pixel encoding.
All HDMI Sources shall support either YCBCR 4:2:2 or YCBCR 4:4:4 pixel encoding whenever that
device is capable of transmitting a color-difference color space across any other component
analog or digital video interface.
All HDMI Sinks shall be capable of supporting both YCBCR 4:4:4 and YCBCR 4:2:2 pixel encoding
when that device is capable of supporting a color-difference color space from any other
component analog or digital video input.
If an HDMI Sink supports either YCBCR 4:2:2 or YCBCR 4:4:4 then both shall be supported.
An HDMI Source may determine the pixel-encodings that are supported by the Sink through the
use of the E-EDID. If the Sink indicates that it supports YCBCR-formatted video data and if the
Source can deliver YCBCR data, then it can enable the transfer of this data across the link.
For example, if a Source is processing material with fewer active pixels per line than required (i.e.
704 pixels vs. 720 pixels for standard definition MPEG2 material), it may add pixels to the left and
right of the supplied material before transmitting across HDMI. AVI bar info may need to be
adjusted to account for these added pixels.
Detailed timing is found in EIA/CEA-861B for the following primary and optional video format
timings.
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6.4 Pixel-Repetition
Video formats with native pixel rates below 25 Mpixels/sec require pixel-repetition in order to be
carried across a TMDS link. 720x480i and 720x576i video format timings shall always be pixel-
repeated.
The HDMI Source indicates the use of pixel-repetition with the Pixel Repetition (PR0:PR3) field in
the AVI InfoFrame. This field indicates to the HDMI Sink how many repetitions of each unique
pixel are transmitted. In non-repeated formats, this value is zero.
For pixel-repeated formats, this value indicates the number of pixels that may be discarded by the
Sink without losing real image content.
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The Source shall always accurately indicate the pixel repetition count being used. The use of the
Pixel Repetition field is optional for HDMI Sink.
The use of this pixel-repetition count field is more fully described in EIA/CEA-861B.
Figure 6-1 shows the default encoding, RGB 4:4:4. The R, G, and B components of the first pixel
for a given line of video are transferred on the first pixel of the video data period following the
Guard Band characters.
0 B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 …
1 G0 G1 G2 G3 G4 …
2 R0 R1 R2 R3 R4 …
Figure 6-2 shows the signal mapping and timing for transferring YCBCR 4:2:2 data across HDMI.
Because 4:2:2 data only requires two components per pixel clock, more bits are allocated per
component. The available 24 bits are split into 12 bits for the Y component and 12 bits for the C
components.
1 Bits 7-0 Y0 bits 11-4 Y1 bits 11-4 Y2 bits 11-4 Y3 bits 11-4 Y4 bits 11-4 …
2 Bits 7-0 CB0 bits 11-4 CR0 bits 11-4 CB2 bits 11-4 CR2 bits 11-4 CB4 bits 11-4 …
The YCBCR 4:2:2 pixel encoding on HDMI closely resembles standard ITU-R BT.601. The high-
order 8 bits of the Y samples are mapped onto the 8 bits of Channel 1 and the low-order 4 bits
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are mapped onto the low-order 4 bits of Channel 0. If fewer than 12 bits are used, the valid bits
shall be left-justified (i.e. MSb=MSb) with zeroes padding the bits below the LSb.
The first pixel transmitted within a Video Data Period contains three components, Y0, Cb0 and
Cr0. The Y0 and Cb0 components are transmitted during the first TMDS pixel clock period while
Cr0 is transmitted during the second TMDS pixel clock period. This second pixel clock period also
contains the only component for the second pixel – Y1. In this way, the link carries one CB sample
for every two TMDS pixel clocks and one Cr sample for every two TMDS pixel clocks. These two
components (CB and CR) are multiplexed onto the same signal paths on the link.
At the third TMDS pixel clock, this process is repeated with the Y and CB components for the third
pixel being transmitted, followed, on the next clock, by the CR component of the third pixel and
the Y component of the fourth pixel.
YCBCR 4:4:4 data is transferred using the scheme illustrated in Figure 6-3.
1 Y0 Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 …
During pixel-doubling (Pixel_Repetition_Count = 1), all of the data sent across during the first
pixel clock will be repeated during the second pixel clock. The third clock will then represent the
second actual pixel and so on.
0 B0 B0 B1 B1 B2 …
1 G0 G0 G1 G1 G2 …
2 R0 R0 R1 R1 R2 …
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1 Bits 7-0 Y0 bits 11-4 Y0 bits 11-4 Y1 bits 11-4 Y1 bits 11-4 Y2 bits 11-4 …
2 Bits 7-0 CB0 bits 11-4 CB0 bits 11-4 CR0 bits 11-4 CR0 bits 11-4 CB2 bits 11-4 …
1 Y0 Y0 Y1 Y1 Y2 …
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235 (Y),
Y / CB / CR 8 not allowed 16
240 (CB, CR)
940 (Y),
Y / CB / CR 10 not allowed 64
960 (CB, CR)
3760 (Y),
Y / CB / CR 12 not allowed 256
3840 (CB, CR)
6.7 Colorimetry
The 480-line, 576-line, 240-line, and 288-line video formats are typically transmitted with a color
space based on SMPTE 170M.
ITU-R BT.601-5 Section 3.3 shall be used for any color space conversion needed in the course of
processing unless a different colorimetry is specified in the AVI InfoFrame.
The encoding parameter values shall be as defined in Table 3 of ITU-R BT.601-5 and as
summarized in Section 6.6.
The high-definition video formats are typically transmitted with a color space based on ITU-R
BT.709-4.
ITU-R BT.709-4 Part 1, Section 4 shall be used for any color space conversion needed in the
course of processing unless a different colorimetry is specified in the AVI InfoFrame.
The digital representation shall be as defined in Part 1, Section 6.10 of ITU-R BT.709-4 and as
summarized in Section 6.6.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
7 Audio
7.1 Relationship with IEC 60958/IEC 61937 (IEC)
Audio data is formatted in the Audio Sample Packet as a structure that closely resembles an IEC
60958 or IEC 61937 frame.
On HDMI, each IEC 60958 sub-frame is represented as a 28-bit word. There is no encoding of
the preamble type, which instead is replaced with a “B” bit (start-of-block) in each Audio Sample
packet. The B bit shall be set for a “B, W” frame and shall be clear for an “M, W” frame. (IEC
60958-1 Section 4.1.2). No other sub-frame preamble combinations are allowed.
Except where specifically indicated in this document, the behavior of all fields within the Audio
Sample Subpackets shall follow the corresponding rules specified in the IEC 60958 or IEC 61937
specifications.
With the exception of the Channel Number field carried within the IEC 60958 Channel Status
block, the corresponding Channel Status bits for all of the transmitted channels shall be identical.
There are a variety of clock regeneration methods that can be implemented in an HDMI Sink,
each with a different set of performance characteristics. This specification does not attempt to
define exactly how these mechanisms operate. It does however present a possible configuration
and it does define the data items that the HDMI Source shall supply to the HDMI Sink in order to
allow the HDMI Sink to adequately regenerate the audio clock. It also defines how that data shall
be generated.
In many video source devices, the audio and video clocks are generated from a common clock
(coherent clocks). In this situation, there exists a rational (integer divided by integer) relationship
between these two clocks. The HDMI clock regeneration architecture can take advantage of this
rational relationship and can also work in an environment where there is no such relationship
between these two clocks, that is, where the two clocks are truly asynchronous or where their
relationship is unknown.
Figure 7-1 Audio Clock Regeneration model, illustrates the overall system architecture model
used by HDMI for audio clock regeneration. The Source shall determine the fractional relationship
between the video clock and an audio reference clock (128 ! audio sample rate) and shall pass
the numerator and denominator for that fraction to the Sink across the HDMI link. The Sink may
then recreate the audio clock from the TMDS clock by using a clock divider and a clock multiplier.
The Source shall determine the value of the numerator N. Typically, this value N will be used in a
clock divider to generate an intermediate clock that is slower than the 128!fS clock by the factor
N. The Source will typically determine the value of the denominator CTS (Cycle Time Stamp) by
counting the number of TMDS clocks in each of the 128!fS/N clocks.
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If there is a constant fractional relationship between these two clocks, and the two clocks are
exactly synchronous, then the CTS value will quickly come to a constant value. If the clocks are
asynchronous, or there is some amount of jitter between the two clocks, then the CTS value will
typically alternate between two or three different values. Greater variations are possible with
larger jitter.
Register N*
N
N
Sink Device
CTS
Divide
by N
It is expected that most Sinks will be implemented with an architecture similar to that shown in
Figure 7-2, however, it is permitted and possible to devise an audio clock regeneration function
that does not take advantage of the N or CTS values passed to the Sink.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
If an HDMI Source supports any HDMI audio transmission, then it shall support 2 channel L-PCM
using an IEC 60958 Subpacket structure, with either 32kHz, 44.1kHz or 48kHz sampling rate and
a sample size of 16 bits or more.
An HDMI Source is permitted to transmit L-PCM or encoded audio data at sample rates of 32kHz,
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz and 192kHz using either IEC 60958 format or IEC
61937 format.
If an HDMI Sink supports audio reception across any input, then it shall support audio reception
from all HDMI inputs.
An HDMI Sink that is capable of accepting any audio format is required to accept two channel
IEC 60958-formatted L-PCM audio at sample rates of 32kHz, 44.1kHz, and 48kHz.
For EIA/CEA-861B references to Sources, “Basic Audio” is defined as two channel L-PCM audio
at sample rates of 32kHz, 44.1kHz, or 48kHz, with a sample size of at least 16 bits. For EIA/CEA-
861B references to DTV devices, “Basic Audio” is defined as two channel L-PCM audio at sample
rates of 32kHz, 44.1kHz, and 48kHz. There is no sample size usage restriction for DTV devices.
An HDMI Sink may optionally accept audio at sample rates of 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz and/or
192kHz using either IEC 60958 format or IEC 61937 format, and should indicate these
capabilities in the E-EDID data structure.
Whenever transmitting a valid audio stream, HDMI Sources shall always include valid sample
rate information in the Channel Status bits of the audio sample packets, per Table 7-1.
In some cases, pixel-repetition may be required to increase the available bandwidth for audio
transmission. For instance, when transmitting a 720x480p video format timing, it is required to
pixel double in order to transmit 6 channels @ 96kHz.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
1 1 0 0 32 kHz
0 0 0 0 44.1 kHz
0 0 0 1 88.2 kHz
0 0 1 1 176.4 kHz
0 1 0 0 48 kHz
0 1 0 1 96 kHz
0 1 1 1 192 kHz
Available audio bandwidth depends upon the pixel clock frequency, the video format timing, and
whether or not content protection re-synchronization is needed.
Table 7-2 shows the available audio sample rates for 2-channel (Layout 0) and 8-channel (Layout
1) audio transmission at the various video format timings specified in EIA/CEA-861B, assuming
that 58 clocks of the horizontal blanking interval is required for content protection re-
synchronization.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Table 7-2 Maximum Audio Sampling Frequency for all Video Format Timings (Informative)
60Hz Formats
VGA 640x480p none 59.94/60 48 192
50Hz Formats
576i 1440x576i 2 50 48 192
576i 2880x576i 4 50 192 192
1080p @ 24-30Hz
1080p 1920x1080p none 24 192 192
1080p 1920x1080p none 25 192 192
1080p 1920x1080p none 29.97/30 192 192
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
In addition, for multi-channel L-PCM audio streams, the Source may specify the speaker
assignment for each of the channels in the audio stream delivered to the Sink. EIA/CEA-861B
Section 6.3.2 specifies the available speaker assignments for active audio channels on HDMI.
The indication of the current speaker assignment is carried in the Audio InfoFrame.
An HDMI Source is required to transmit audio and video data streams with no more than ±2 msec
of audio delay relative to the video. Due to the uneven transmission of audio data, the delay shall
be considered to be the average delay of all of the audio sample packets over the course of 3
steady-state video frames.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
TMDS is used to carry all audio and video data as well as auxiliary data, including AVI and Audio
InfoFrames that describe the active audio and video streams.
The DDC channel is used by an HDMI Source to determine the capabilities and characteristics of
the Sink by reading the E-EDID data structure.
HDMI Sources are expected to read the Sink’s E-EDID and to deliver only the audio and video
formats which are supported by the Sink. Also, HDMI Sinks are expected to detect InfoFrames
and to process the received audio and video data appropriately.
The CEC channel is optionally used for higher-level user functions such as automatic setup tasks
or tasks typically associated with infrared remote control usage.
All InfoFrames are described in detail in EIA/CEA-861B Section 6. The following describes how
two of these InfoFrames are placed within the InfoFrame Packet structure and any areas where
HDMI behavior is different than that specified in EIA/CEA-861B.
Various aspects of the current video stream are indicated by the HDMI Source to the Sink with an
Auxiliary Video information (AVI) InfoFrame.
Byte \ Bit # 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
HB0 Packet Type = 0x82
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Packet EIA/CEA-861B
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Byte # Byte #
PB0 N. A. Checksum
PB4 Data Byte 4 Rsvd (0) VIC6 VIC5 VIC4 VIC3 VIC2 VIC1 VIC0
PB6 Data Byte 6 Line Number of End of Top Bar (lower 8 bits)
PB7 Data Byte 7 Line Number of End of Top Bar (upper 8 bits)
PB8 Data Byte 8 Line Number of start of Bottom Bar (lower 8 bits)
PB9 Data Byte 9 Line Number of start of Bottom Bar (upper 8 bits)
PB10 Data Byte 10 Pixel Number of End of Left Bar (lower 8 bits)
PB11 Data Byte 11 Pixel Number of End of Left Bar (upper 8 bits)
PB12 Data Byte 12 Pixel Number of End of Right Bar (lower 8 bits)
PB13 Data Byte 13 Pixel Number of End of Right Bar (upper 8 bits)
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Table 8-3 HDMI Valid Pixel Repeat Values for Each Format
EIA/CEA-861B Pixel
Video Code Video Description HDMI Pixel Repeat Values
Repeat Values
1 640x480p @ 60Hz No Repetition No Repetition
2,3 720x480p @ 59.94/60Hz No Repetition No Repetition
4 1280x720p @ 59.94/60Hz No Repetition No Repetition
5 1920x1080i @ 59.94/60Hz No Repetition No Repetition
6,7 720(1440)x480i @ 59.94/60Hz Pixel sent 2 times Pixel sent 2 times
8,9 720(1440)x240p @ 59.94/60Hz Pixel sent 2 times Pixel sent 2 times
10,11 2880x480i @ 59.94/60Hz Pixel sent 1 to 10 times Pixel sent 1 to 10 times
12,13 2880x240p @ 59.94/60Hz Pixel sent 1 to 10 times Pixel sent 1 to 10 times
14,15 1440x480p @ 59.94/60Hz No Repetition Pixel sent 1 to 2 times**
16 1920x1080p @ 59.94/60Hz No Repetition No Repetition
17,18 720x576p @ 50Hz No Repetition No Repetition
19 1280x720p @ 50Hz No Repetition No Repetition
20 1920x1080i @ 50Hz No Repetition No Repetition
21,22 720(1440)x576i @ 50Hz Pixel sent 2 times Pixel sent 2 times
23,24 720(1440)x288p @ 50Hz Pixel sent 2 times Pixel sent 2 times
25,26 2880x576i @ 50Hz Pixel sent 1 to 10 times Pixel sent 1 to 10 times
27,28 2880x288 @ 50Hz Pixel sent 1 to 10 times Pixel sent 1 to 10 times
29,30 1440x576p @ 50Hz No Repetition Pixel sent 1 to 2 times**
31 1920x1080p @ 50Hz No Repetition No Repetition
32 1920x1080p @ 23.97/24Hz No Repetition No Repetition
33 1920x1080p @ 25Hz No Repetition No Repetition
34 1920x1080p @ 29.97/30Hz No Repetition No Repetition
** - Denotes change from EIA/CEA-861B valid values. Pixel repetition is required to support some
audio formats at 720x480p and 720x576p video format timings. See Section 7.3.1
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
A Source shall indicate characteristics of the active audio stream through the use of the IEC
60958 Channel Status bits and through the use of the Audio InfoFrame. Whenever an active
audio stream is being transmitted, an accurate Audio InfoFrame shall be transmitted at least once
per two video fields.
Upon the start of a new audio stream or upon any change in the audio stream that can be
indicated by the Audio InfoFrame, a modified, accurate Audio InfoFrame shall be transmitted no
later than one video field following the first affected non-silent audio sample. Preferably this would
occur just before the first affected audio sample is transmitted.
The Audio InfoFrame transmission may occur at any time that a Data Island packet may be
transmitted, including during any horizontal or vertical blanking period.
Byte \ Bit # 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
HB0 Packet Type = 0x84
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
Packet EIA/CEA-861B
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Byte # Byte #
PB0 n. a. checksum
PB1 Data Byte 1 CT3 CT2 CT1 CT0 Rsvd CC2 CC1 CC0
PB4 Data Byte 4 CA7 CA6 CA5 CA4 CA3 CA2 CA1 CA0
PB11-
Data Byte 11-27 Reserved
PB27
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
A Source shall read the EDID 1.3 and first CEA EDID Timing Extension to determine the
capabilities supported by the Sink. Additional extensions may be read to discover additional
capabilities. The Source is responsible for any format conversions that may be necessary to
supply audio and video in an understandable form to the Sink. However, it is permitted for a
Source to transmit Basic Audio (see Section 7.3) to a Sink that does not indicate support for
Basic Audio.
The overall structure of the E-EDID in the Sink shall conform to the E-EDID structure defined in
the VESA E-EDID Standard Release A, Revision 1, but shall also meet the additional
requirements specified herein.
The first 128 bytes of the E-EDID shall contain an EDID 1.3 structure. The contents of this
structure shall also meet the requirements of EIA/CEA-861B.
The first E-EDID ‘extension’ shall contain a CEA EDID Timing Extension version 3, defined in
EIA/CEA-861B section 7.5. Additional CEA EDID Timing Extensions may also be present. The E-
EDID shall not contain an EDID Timing Extension version 1 or version 2.
EDID Timing Extension version 3 details are described in EIA/CEA-861B Section 7.5.
Further details on the requirements of the data structures in the E-EDID and implementation
examples are given in EIA/CEA-861B.
Sink audio characteristics and support are indicated in the E-EDID. This data includes a list of
audio encodings supported by the Sink and parameters associated with each of those encodings.
A Sink may indicate support for YCBCR pixel encodings. To indicate support, bits 4 and 5 of byte
3 of the EDID Timing Extension shall both be set to one (see Table 29 of EIA/CEA-861B). To
indicate no support, bits 4 and 5 shall both be zero.
If a Sink is required to support a particular video format, video format timing, or pixel encoding,
then the Sink shall indicate support for that video format, video format timing or pixel encoding in
the E-EDID.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
8.4.1 Timing
Data is synchronized with the SCL signal and timing shall comply with the Standard Mode of the
I2C specification (100kHz clock).
I2C Bus is a standard two-wire (clock and data) serial data bus protocol. Refer to the I2C
specification for details.
Note that an HDMI Sink may hold off the DDC transaction by stretching the SCL line during the
SCL-low period following the Acknowledge bit as permitted by the I2C specification. All HDMI
Sources shall delay the DDC transaction while the SCL line is being held low.
The Source shall use I2C commands to read information from a Sink’s E-EDID with a slave
address.
In Enhanced DDC, a segment pointer is used to allow addressing of the E-EDID outside of the
normal 256-byte limit of the 0xA0/0xA1 address. The Enhanced DDC protocol sets the segment
pointer before the remainder of the DDC command.
Each successive value of the segment pointer allows access to the next two blocks of E-EDID
(128 bytes each). The value of the segment pointer register cannot be read since it is reset at the
completion of each command.
The Sink shall be capable of responding with EDID 1.3 data and up to 255 extension blocks, each
128 bytes long (up to 32K bytes total E-EDID memory) whenever the Hot Plug Detect signal is
asserted.
The Sink should be capable of providing E-EDID information over the Enhanced DDC channel
whenever the +5V Power signal is provided. This should be available within 20msec after the +5V
Power signal is provided.
The Source shall be capable of reading EDID 1.3 data at DDC address 0xA0.
The Source reads Enhanced EDID extensions data at DDC address 0xA0 using segment pointer
0x60.
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A Source may use a high voltage level Hot Plug Detect signal to initiate the reading of E-EDID
data.
An HDMI Sink shall indicate any change to the contents of the E-EDID by driving a low voltage
level on the Hot Plug Detect pin for at least 100 msec.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
The mandatory requirements for the CEC line are described in detail in HDMI Specification 1.0,
Electrical Specifications section. The optional CEC protocol is described in detail in HDMI
Specification 1.0, Supplement 1: Consumer Electronics Control (CEC).
An initiator first has to test that the CEC line is free for use. After that it generates a high to low
transition on the CEC line, followed by a series of pulses comprising data bits whose starting
point is defined by a high to low transition.
The initiator provides bit timing and bit leading edges. Only one initiator is allowed at any one
time. A CEC line arbitration mechanism avoids conflicts when more than one initiator begins
transmitting at the same time.
9.3 Messages
The CEC protocol is made up of a number of messages with various parameters.
All transactions on the CEC line are between an initiator and one or more followers. The initiator
is responsible for sending the message structure and the data. The follower is the recipient of any
data and is responsible for acknowledging the message and reacting as appropriate.
Messages may be directly addressed to a single device or alternatively may be broadcast to all
CEC devices within the network.
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High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Informational Version 1.0
9.5 Features
CEC provides a number of recommended features designed to enhance the functionality and
interoperability of devices within an HDMI system. A device may implement a sub-set of these
features based on its device type and the level of functionality offered. The following list describes
the set of features offered:
• One Touch Play – A device may be played and become the active source with a single
button press.
• System Standby – Enables all devices to be switched to standby with a single button press.
• Preset Transfer – A device’s presets can be auto configured to match those of the TV.
• One Touch Record – A recording can be made with a single button press (e.g. via TV).
• Timer Programming – Any device can program a timer recording on a recording device.
• System Information – A device can auto-configure its language and country settings.
• Deck Control – A device can control (e.g. play, fast forward etc.) and interrogate a playback
device (a deck).
• Tuner Control – Allows a device to manipulate the tuner of another device.
• Vendor Specific Commands – Allows vendor-defined commands to be used.
• OSD Display – A device can use the on-screen display of the TV to display text strings.
• Device Menu Control – Enables a device to control the menu of another device.
• Routing Control – Allows the control of CEC Switches for streaming of a new source device.
• Remote Control Pass Through – RC commands may be passed through to other devices
within the system.
• Device OSD Name Transfer – Devices may request the preferred OSD name of other
devices within the system.
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Appendix A Repeater
A.1 Repeater Functions
A Repeater is defined as a device with one or more HDMI inputs and one or more HDMI outputs
and a retransmission function.
In all cases, each HDMI input shall fulfill all of the requirements of an HDMI Sink when it is
connected with an active sink device, and each HDMI output shall fulfill all of the requirements of
an HDMI Source when it is connected with an active source.
The E-EDID presented by a Repeater should reflect the capabilities of the downstream Sink.
An HDMI cluster may have several Repeaters between a Source and a Sink. To minimize the
impact to the E-EDID reading time, each Repeater in the chain should minimize the added delay.
For example, the delay added by a Forwarding type Repeater should be no more than 4 msec
per 16-byte read.
A stored E-EDID type Repeater should be able to send a 256 byte E-EDID within 150 msec when
a Source issues sixteen 16-byte read requests. This means that a 16-byte read request would be
completed within approximately 10 msec.
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In order to guarantee rendering of video from Sources that do not fully support HDMI audio, the
following condition shall be met:
• Sinks that are capable of supporting an HDMI video format when it is accompanied by audio
shall also support that format when it is not accompanied by audio.
It is strongly recommended that a display device, when receiving an HDMI video signal without
audio, temporarily indicate to the user that there is no audio accompanying the stream.
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When communicating with a DVI device, an HDMI device shall operate according to the DVI 1.0
specification, with the following exception – these devices are not required to comply with DVI 1.0
rules regarding:
• Monitor scaling requirements [refer to Section 2.2.8.2 of the DVI specification – superceded
by HDMI specifications]
• Physical Interconnect specifications [refer to Chapter 5 of the DVI specification – superceded
by HDMI specifications]
• System Low Pixel Format Support Requirements [refer to Section 2.2.4 of the DVI
specification – superceded by HDMI specifications]
Furthermore, for HDMI devices which do not have a “BIOS” or “operating system”, there are the
following additional exceptions:
• “BIOS” requirements [refer to Section 2.2.4 of the DVI specification]
• “Operating system” requirements [refer to Section 2.2.2 and Section 2.2.9 of the DVI
specification]
• “System level event” requirements [refer to Section 2.2.9.1 of the DVI specification]
• Power management requirements [refer to Section 2.4 of the DVI specification]
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